"Start with your local community and your own state first..."

The Western New England University School of Law Institute for Legislative and Governmental Affairs recently hosted a talk by Massachusetts State Senator Eric Lesser titled, “The Role States Play in the Trump Era.”

“States serve as our country's laboratories of democracy,” explained Senator Lesser. “They are the place where new ideas and approaches can be explored and tested, despite the paralysis in Washington, D.C. The residual powers that are not explicitly included in the U.S. Constitution rest in the states, not in the federal government.”

Along with sharing his own experiences at the state capital, Lesser explained that the viewpoint behind his talk was not given through a conservative or liberal point of view, but through a perspective that will help aspiring lawyers to feel motivated and encouraged to be passionate in their careers. “It’s important to understand what's at stake and what role law students and lawyers in particular can play in the age of President Trump,” Lesser explained.

In what Lesser believes to be a very vexing and challenging time in the nation's civic life, he described law schools as having a special responsibility, and encouraged the students to recognize the unique rolel they play in the health of our democracy, because of their educational opportunities. “If you want to influence public policy in a meaningful way, start with your local community and your own state first,” Lesser added.